"Do you think I will stand a better chance to join the Party after this Party Congress?" asked the 40-year-old Wang, the most successful businessman in Zhejiang's Fuyang city running a hi-tech company. Wang has been seeking a CPC membership since 1992.

In his keynote report, Jiang said that the CPC should admit into itself advanced elements of other social strata who accept the Party's program and Constitution, work for the realization of the Party's line and program consciously and meet the qualifications of Party membership following a long period of test, in order to increase the influence and rallying force of the Party in society at large. "I was most glad to hear that," said Wang.

On Friday, many of the 250,000 private enterprises in Zhejiang hung out banners hailing the "triumphant opening of the 16th Party Congress", while bosses of these enterprises, along with Party members among their employees, watched the live TV broadcast of the Congress' opening session in Beijing from beginning to end.

"(After hearing Jiang's report,) we feel as if having taken a 'reassurance pill' and all our remaining worries and fears are completely gone," said Nan Cunhui, board director of Wenzhou-based Zhengtai Group, which is now planning a listing on the domestic stock market.

Nan said that he and other stockholders of the group company had started business for making money, but "Now we want more to make our brand famous worldwide so as to serve our country".

"Jiang's report has drawn a blueprint for China's development in the new century and will help lead the Chinese nation to its rejuvenation," said Gan Shuying, an overseas Chinese who returned to live in Beijing.

In northeast China's industrial center of Harbin, local citizens were most concerned about the Party's future plan for the restructuring of state-owned enterprises.

"We are greatly encouraged by Jiang's report, which has put forth new ideas for the reform of state-owned enterprises and also pledged to make every effort to create more jobs," said Liu Yiming, a mechanic in the Harbin Steam Turbine Plant.

"It's great news to us that the Party will continue to actively push forward the development of the western hinterland," said Shi Tianxin, a village head in northwest China's Gansu Province. "Under the strong leadership of the Party, we will surely succeed in bringing a new look to the western rural areas."

After watching the live broadcast of the 16th Party Congress' opening session, many officers and soldiers of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and the armed police forces said they would earnestly study Jiang Zemin's report and fully implement the important thought of Three Represents in safeguarding national security and unification and serving the building of a well-off society.

"We will unwaveringly adhere to the fundamental principle of the Party's absolute leadership over the PLA, further strengthen and improve Party building within the army, and strive hard to accomplish the double tasks of mechanization and IT application with the two objectives of being capable of winning battles and never degenerating," they said.

Officers and soldiers of a PLA company deployed at the country's western borders, which recently participated in the China-Kirgizstan joint anti-terrorism exercise, vowed to train harder to raise their defense capabilities and combat effectiveness under hi-tech conditions.

(Xinhua News Agency November 9, 2002)